Car door actuating mechanism



. 7, 1943. A. E. SMALL CAR DOOR ACTUATING MCHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 28, 1941 Dec. 7, 1943. A. E. SMALL CAR DOOR ACTUATING MECHANISMy Filed May 28, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 c 7, All E. n CAR DOOR ACTUTING MECHANISM Filed May 2s, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 7, 1943.

A. E; SMALL.

CAR IDOOR ACTUATINGMECHANISM Filed Many 28; 1941 4 Sneets-Sheet 4,(

J l 1,4 A.m.......|.w# I

Patented Dec. 7, 1943 JN'E STA''ES FTENT OFFICE CAR B?, ACTUATING MECHNISM Arthur E. Small, Porter, Ind., assigner to Railway Metal Products Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Delaware 2' Claims.

The invention relates to side doors for railway cars and specifically to the xtures or operating mechanism for such doors, which doors are commonly arranged to slide in planes substantially parallel with the side walls of the car. The travel of such doors is approximately equal to the width of the door opening so that the doors may be moved into alignment with the opening or entirely out of alignment with such opening. The invention relates particularly to the type of side door fixtures manufactured and sold by my assignee, and disclosed and claimed in Gilpin Patent No. 1,902,772 of March 21, 1933.

Such a side door is commonly arranged with rollers revolubly mounted upon the door and preferably enclosed in housings so that a small part of each roller extends below its respective housing. A horizontally extending track is secured to a side wall of the car, preferably adjacent the lower edge of the door opening, and is provided with depressions. The depressions are somewhat deeper than the distance by which the rollers extend below the roller housings so that when the door is moved to a position wherein the rollers are above the depressions, contact between the rollers and the track is relieved and the door is supported by parts of the roller housings or other fixed parts of the door resting upon the track or other iixed part or parts of the car. The friction between the xed parts of the door and parts secured to the car is suflicient to prevent easy moving of the door. The depressions in the track are positioned so that this frictional resistance to moving is effective when the door is in the full open or full closed position and so that the rollers roll upon the track when the door is in any position between the full open and full closed.

Railroad regulations require that before a car is moved, the door thereof should be absolutely locked so as to prevent sliding of the door during service movements of the car. This regulation is not universally complied with and railroad operators often rely upon the above mentioned frictional resistance to prevent movement of the door. With the severe jolts which occur in some types of service, this irictional resistance has proved to be insufcient and injuries to voperators, as well as damages to the car and the door, have resulted as a consequence.

An object of the invention is to provide means operative particularly when the door is supported on the rollers for preventing unretarded, violent movement of the door over large distances to either the full open or full closed position. Y A

further object is to provide the above mentioned means to be operative when the door is in either the full open or full closed position for a similar purpose.

Another object is to provide a retarding means which also tends to move the door inwardly toward the car when the door is stopped in any position between the full open and full closed positions.

In a door of the type herein disclosed, lit is common to provide an operating lever to impart initial movement to the door for the purpose of moving the rollers into operative positions.Y An object of the invention is to design such operating lever so that adequate clearance for the opcrators hand is provided between the lever. and the door rwhen the lever is being used and so that the lever is conned within the clearance lines for the railroad when not in use.

A further object alternative to the rst mentioned object above is to provide a retarding means which prevents the movement of thev door toward the full closed position, thereby minimizing the danger of injuring a man standing in the doorway, and which permits movement toward the full open Vposition for the purpose of relieving the rollers of the weight of the door.

Other objects and advantages of-my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a railway car showing a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a View similar to a portion of Fig. 1

showing the operating .lever in its opposite po.

Fig. 8 is also a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another modied form of the invention.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 8. l

. Fig. 10 is a section on line Ill-lll of Fig. 8.

Fig. 1'1 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing a modied construction.

Fig. 12 is a plan section on line I2-I2 of Fig. 1l.

Figl 13 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing a further mo-dification of my invention.

Fig. 14 is a section on line I4-I4 of Fig. 13.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 1, the door 2 has front (3) and rear (5) roller housings rigidly mounted upon the opposite lower corners of the door and rollers 6, 'I revolubly mounted within the housings 3, 5 respectively. A track 8, which in the form shown is a longitudinally extending channel member facing inwardly of the car, is supported in spaced relation to the side sill 9 of the car by spaced apart brackets II of a form to be hereinafter described in detail. The track 8 is provided with Preferably three depressed portions, one (I2) adjacent the front door post, another (I 4) adjacent the rear door post and the third (I5) at the opposite end of the track at a distance from the rear door post substantially equal to the width of the doorway. When the door 2 is in the full closed position, as shown in Fig. 1, the front roller 6 is above the depression l2 and the rear roller 'I is above the depression I4. The track 8 and rollers 6, 1 are proportioned and positioned so that when the door 2 is in the position shown, the rollers 6, 1 are out of engagement with the track 8 and the door is supported by rigid parts thereof, such as the roller housings 3, 5 or the lower frame strip of the door, engaging the upper surface of the track 8, The friction between such engaged surfaces prevents easy movement of the door to positions wherein the rollers become operative.

Means are provided for moving the door 2 to overcome the above mentioned friction and bringing the rollers 6, 'I into operative engagement with the track 8, thereby making possible easy movement of the door. Such means consists of an operating lever I8 pivotally mounted upon the door 2 and a bracket I9 rigidly mounted upon the car or, as shown in Fig. 1, on the track 8. The lever I8 has a lower end 2| adapted to engage with the bracket I9 so that a substantially horizontal force exerted upon the upper end 22 of the lever I8 has the advantage of considerable leverage and moves the door 2 until the rollers 6, 1 reach operative positions upon the undepressed portions of the track 8. The lever I8 is pivotally mounted by means of 'an elongated hole 24 which permits limited sliding movement of the lever relative to the door so that the lower end 2| of the lever may be inserted through the top part of the bracket I9.

Doors are commonly made of relatively light gauge metallic sheets and, for reinforcing purposes, I prefer to provide the relatively heavy reinforcing plate 21 secured to the door sheathing 28 as shown most clearly in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. The fulcrum 29 comprises a U-shaped fulcrum bracket 3B secured preferably to the door reinforcing plate 21 and a fulcrum thimble 3| rigidly secured, preferably by a rivet 33, to the fulcrum bracket 39 to form a bearing for the lever movement. A locking bar 34 is mounted upon the lever I8 by a means to be hereinafter described. In opening the door, the operator engages the lowei end 2l of the operating lever I8with the bracket I9 and exerts a force on the upper end of the lever, thereby moving the door 2 until the rollers 6, 'I reach operative positions. When the operator releases his grip on the upper end of the operating lever I8, such lever is free to fall either to the left as shown in Figure 1 or to the right as shown in Figure 2. One end of the locking bar 34 is then disposed, whether the lever I8 has fallen to the 75 right or left, in horizontal alignment with the track supporting brackets II. The door 2 is thus free to move only the distance from one bracket Il to the adjacent bracket II and is confined within this range by the engagement of the locking bar 34 with the brackets II. If the istance between brackets I I permits too much movement of the door 2, additional stop members 35 may be provided between the brackets II, thereby reducing the range of the limited door movement (see Figure 2).

In the form disclosed, the track bracket Il, as shown in detail in Figures 5 and 6, comprises a base 49 secured atwise to the car sill 9 and an outwardly extending part 4I to which the car track 8 is attached, preferably by a rivet 43. The bracket I I is reinforced by the substantially horizontal, tapered webs 44. The ends 46 of the locking bar 34 are provided with objections 4l adapted to engage underneath the webs 44 and thereby prevent upward swinging of the operating lever I8 such as would move the ends 48 of the locking bar 34 out of alignment with brackets II. The opposite ends of the locking bar 34 are preferably beveled (48) to facilitate the bar sliding behind the track 8, and confine the lever I8 within the clearance line speciiied by railroad regulations as the maximum permissible car width.

The locking bar 34 is attached to the operating level` i8 by a locking bar bracket 49 which is a channel; the locking bar 34 is secured to the web 553 of the channel and the outwardly projecting reanges 52 of the bracket 49 are secured to the operating lever I8. A filler 53 is preferably provided between the operating lever I8 and the reiianges 52 to insure a rigid riveted connection. When the operating lever I8 is released by the operator, as hereinabove described, it falls by gravity either to the right or left and its downward movement is limited by the engagement of the 'ends of the bracket flanges 55 with the upper surface of the track 8.

In the modification shown in Figure '7, the locking bar 68 is similar to that disclosed in Figure 3 except that the ends of the bar 60 each have a projection 8l on one side only and a round edge B3 on the opposite side. The locking bar 68 is so constructed that the projections 6I engage underneath the webs 44 of the track supporting brackets II only when the door 2 tends to move toward the full closed position (toward the left of Figure 7). When the tendency of the door is to move toward the full open position (toward the right of Figure '7), the rounded edges 63 engage the webs 44 of the track supporting brackets I I and the operating lever I5 is thereby lifted a sufficient amount to permit the end of the locking bar E() to jump over the track supporting bracket II, thereby permitting unrestricted movement of the door 2 toward the full open position. The rollers 6, 'I are thus relieved of the weight of the door when the door reaches the full open position. The locking bar bracket 64 shown in Figure 7 is somewhat modified so that both flanges 66, 61 thereof engage the track 8 when the lever I8 has fallen to either the right or left position.

In the modification shown in Figures 8 to 10, the lever 'I8 is substantially similar to the lever I8 shown in Figure 3 and the fulcrum assembly 29 for pivotally mounting such lever upon the door is also similar. The track 8, which in the form shown is a channel shaped member as also disclosed in Figure 3, may be mounted upon the car by brackets il shown in Figure 6 or by any other' meanssuitable forA rigidly supporting` lil, preferably by welding, and Vvextends f later-5v ally from the lever.

'iii is released from the grip ofthe operatonthe lever l falls to the position shown in Figure 8 (or a similar position to the right of the fulcrum i9) and the locking bar 'li ywedges itself behind the track 8 due to the Weight of both the lever '19 and the bar l-i and to the momentum of the downwardly moving lever and bar.. This wedging effect creates a contact pressure between the bar 'H and track 8 and thereby exerts a frictional resistance to the horizontal movement of the door. The outwardly facing, tapered side 73 of the locking bar H is preferably serrated (M) or corrugated so as to more` effectively grip the edge of the track 8.

In the modification shown in Figures 1l and 12, the structure functions in a similar manner to that disclosed in Figures 8 to l0. The locking bar 'i8 is formed with a hollow interior 19 for the purpose of reducing the weight thereof, also of providing a riveted connection 8| to the operating lever 82. The outwardly facing, tapered sides 84 of the locking bar 'i8 are serrated (85) and the inner edge of the upper flange 8l of the track 8 is also serrated (83) so that when the operating lever 82 is permitted to fall either to the left or right, the serrations 85, 88 of the block and track engage and positively prevent further movement of the door. A member 86 may be provided as a backing for the locking bar 18.

Figures 13 and 14 show a construction which embodies a modified fulcrum and locking bar. The fulcrum bracket S is rigidly mounted upon the door 2 and comprises a round cylindrical outer surface 9| having an axis substantially normal to the plane of the door. The locking bar 93 is freely rotatable on the fulcrum bracket 53 and is retained in engagement therewith by the washer 94 riveted to the fulcrum bracket. The locking bar 93 has its outwardly facing side 93 tapered to provide a wedging engagement with the track 8, which tapered side 96 or the track Si. or both may be serrated, as hereinbefore described, to improve the grip of the locking bar upon the track. The locking bar 93 has a substantially square portion 91 and the operating lever 98 has a rectangular hole l which engages the square portion 9'! of the locking bar 93 in non-rotative relation therewith. The hole EGB in the operating lever S9 is rectangular to permit sliding movement of the lever relative to the door so that the lower end H32 of the lever S9 may be engaged with a starting bracket |03 mounted upon the car. It is pointed out that the locking bar has a fixed position relative to the door 2 and thereby exerts a more positive locking action than when such locking bar is rigid with the lever, which lever is free to slide a limited distance relative to the door.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of 'the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvio-us that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

l. A door operating mechanism for a railway l The outwardlyfacirig ,sida 'i3 of the locking bar H is tapered toward the. opposite ends of the bar so that Vwhen theV lever.

talcklcariied by fsaidf'car Ioutwardly from said Wa1l`,"-'arid"a"sliding.'door; movably supported on said track for'c'losing said opening, said mechanisfn'A comprising Ya lever'pivotally mounted upon said door for swinging movement in a plane paralle] with the plane of the door and limited movement laterally of the door and arranged to fall by gravity to a substantially horizontal position when not in use, a projection carried by thecalr` and adapted to be engaged by said lever to impart movement to the door, a locking bar carried by said leverand having a part extending inwardly of said track when the lever is not Vin use, thereby maintaining said lever within the maximum permissible overall width for the car.

2. A door operating mechanism for a railway car having a Wall with a door opening therein, a track carried by said car outwardly from said wall, brackets securing said track to said Wall, and a sliding door movably supported on said track for closing said opening, said mechanism comprising a lever pivotally mounted upon said door forswinging movement in a plane parallel with the plane of the door and arranged to fall by gravity to a substantially horizontal position when not in use, a projection carried by the car and adapted to be engaged by said lever to impart movement to the door, a locking bar carried by said lever and having a part extending inwardly of said track in horizontal alignment with said brackets when the lever is no-t in use, thereby restricting horizontal movement of said door along said track, said part having a beveled edge to facilitate passage of said part inwardly of said track.

3. A door operating mechanism for a railway car having a wall with a door opening therein, a track carried by said car outwardly from said wall, brackets securing said track to said wall, and a sliding door movably supported on said track for closing said opening, said mechanism comprising a lever pivotally mounted upon said door for swinging movement in a plane parallel with the plane of the door and limited movement laterally of the door and arranged to fall by gravity to a substantially horizontal position when not in use, a projection carried by the car and adapted to be engaged by said lever to impart movement to the door, a locking bar carried by said lever and arranged to operatively engage said bracket when the lever is not in use, thereby restricting horizontal movement of said door along said track, said locking bar also engaging said track when the lever is not in use so as to confine said lever relatively close to said door.

4. In a railway car having a wall with a door opening therein and a sliding door to close said opening; a track adjacent said wall, spaced apart brackets associated with said track and associated with said car for supporting said track, rolling means carried by said door for movably supporting said door upon said track, a lever pivotally mounted upon the door` for swinging movement in a plane parallel with the plane of the door and arranged to fall by gravity to a substantially horizontal position When not in use, a projection carried by the car and adapted to be engaged by said lever to impart movement to the door and a locking bar carried by said lever and having a part disposed in horizontal alignment with said brackets when the lever is not in use, said parts having forwardly facing hooks and rearwardly facing rounded portions, thereby car. having awall with a doory opening therein, a

restricting horizontal movement of said door to movement toward the full opened position only.

5. In a railway car having a wall with a door opening therein and a sliding door to close said opening; a track carried by said car and spaced outwardly from said wall, rolling means carried by said door for movably supporting said door upon said track, a lever pivotally mounted upon the door for swinging movement in a plane parallel with the plane of the door and arranged to fall by gravity to a substantially horizontal position when not in use, a projection carried by the car and adapted to be engaged by said lever to impart movement to the door and a locking bar carried by said lever and having a part projecting from said lever and extending inwardly of said track when the lever is in said substantially horizontal position, the outwardly facing side of said part being tapered away from said lever and inwardly of the car to wedge against the inner side of said track, thereby restricting horizontal movement of said door.

6. In a railway car having a wall with a door opening therein and a sliding door to close said opening; a track carried by said car and spaced outwardly from said wall, rolling means carried by said door for movably supporting said door upon said track, a lever pivotaliy mounted upon the door for swinging movement in a plane parallel with the plane of the door and arranged to fal1 by gravity to a substantially horizontal position when not in use, a projection carried by the car and adapted to be engaged by said lever to impart movement to the door and a locking bar carried by said lever and having a part projecting from said lever and extend- 5 ing inwardly of said track when the lever is' in said substantially horizontal position, the outwardly facing side of said part being tapered away from said lever and inwardly of the car to wedge against the inner side of said track, l0 thereby restricting horizontal movement of said door, said outwardly facing side being serrated to grip said track.

7. In a railway car having a well with a door opening therein and a sliding door to close said opening; a track carried by said car and spaced outwardly from said wall, rolling means carried by said door for movably supporting said door upon said track, a lever pivotally mounted upon the door for swinging movement in a plane parallel with the plane of the door and arranged to fall by gravity to a substantially horizontal position when not in use, a projection carried by the car and adapted to be engaged by said lever to impart movement to the door and a locking bar carried by said lever and having a part projecting from said lever and extending inwardly of said track when the lever is in said substantially horizontal position, the outwardly facing side of said part and the inner side of said track having engaging serrations, thereby restricting horizontal movement of said door.

ARTHUR E. SMALL. 

